Prayer Flag # 7 and a tutorial

I'm in The Prayer Flag project and want to share a little tutorial on making your own flag, using your drawing skills.


 
We've lived in our house for 8 years, and these blooms appeared for the very first time ever a month or so ago. They're outside my office window and I watch the hummingbirds visit them everyday.

In preparation, I ironed a piece of good quality white muslin (left over with a rabbit drawing on part of it) onto a piece of freezer paper. The freezer paper keeps it flat and easier to draw on. I went outside and quickly drew the new bloom in town with a fabric pen. Straight to pen, a quick, nearly continuous line drawing.
      
For the flag itself, I used a scrap of one of my monoprints, tearing it into a 5 x11" piece. I folded over the top 3 inches to make a sleeve on the back for hanging.

I removed the freezer paper from the drawing and ironed the drawing onto fusible webbing with a paper backing. Then, I cut out the drawing, with the fusible backing paper still on.
Once it was cut out, I removed the fusible backing paper and ironed it on to the flag.

I embroidered french knots onto the blossoms, and then machine free-motion sitched the lines of the drawing in black thread.

This is the back of the flag (I added a piece of plain muslin to the back before I free motioned stitched) I also wrote a few lines that moved me.



I added some more contrast in the negative areas with color pencil, so the plant drawing would show up.

I printed out a sheet of labels, so now all my flags are dated and named on the back.


Flag # 7: For everything there is a season.




The lyrics from The Birds song "To Everything there is a Season"
To everything - turn, turn, turnThere is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together


To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven


A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!

Prayer Flags # 5 & 6

I made this flag for Pamela P. She's a student of mine, and a friend and ironically was diagnosed with breast cancer about 6 months after Melly Testa got her diagnosis. The other irony is that they are friends, and Pamela studied with Melly in New York last last year.
Pamela made two very large bed quilts, with a circles theme, so as I created cirlces and stitched circles, I thought of her.
I realized that 3 of my 6 prayer flags, so far, relate to breast cancer....so I added the pink ribbon symbol.
 

If not now, when?
 
One never knows what life will bring....Is there something you've wanted to do, and haven't? If not now, when?
As The Prayer Flag Project suggests, these flags are meant to be done in under an hour. I've been using my scraps of monoprints for the base of mine. I've so enjoyed it, I'm going to add an optional prayer flag making to my upcoming gelatin monoprint workshops at Long Beach Quilt Festival on July 29 (class # 309) and to my workshop at Art Unraveled in Phoenix on August 4.

Handmade Felt

I made some felt at the workshop I taught in Idyllwild this past weekend.

I've begun stitching on this, I think it's going to be a pillow top. It's called "Deep Autumn."

  
Details above of "Deep Autum" , with a felted bar of soap.

This one is called "Paprika" and will probably be a wall hanging.
  


Buddy likes them!
I love teaching felt making and will be teaching it again in LaJolla, CA in November, Fallbrook School of the Arts, (just north of San Diego) on January 27 & 28, and at the Alaska Fiber Festival in Anchorage, Alaska in March 2012.

I just updated my teaching schedule page, hope to see you in one of my workshops soon!

 
My felt boxes are on display (and for sale) at the Idyllwild Arts Gallery.

Pets. Love em!

My article on "Painted Pet Portraits" is in the new Cloth Paper Scissors ebook "10 Pet Portraits.

    

On the left, is AL, my brother's cat, and on the right, my Buddy.

And of course, my DVD (or download)  "From Art to Art Journaling"  is in the same online shop!

Horseback Riding!

A girl and her horse. Ha! It's me, riding the Sunrise Trail at Montecito Sequoia last week.

I've only ridden a few times in my life, the most recent, about 2 years ago, for 1/2 hour, another time, 20 years ago and then 40 years before that! Each time I visit Montecito, I try one new thing. (In the past it's been archery and riflery.) Needless to say I was a bit nervous. I took an hour long lesson with 3 other girls. (As in 10 year old girls!)

I learned to steer and stop and trot my gentle horse Snowy.

The day after my lesson, I did a trail ride for a little over an hour. You know, I'm proud of myself. It's good to be a little afraid, to try new things, and to learn a new skill. 

Prayer Flag # 4 ~ an early morning walk

An early morning walk... ...is a blessing for the whole day."  Henry David Thoreau.



          
You'll recognize my pinecone painting from here
     
"Thoughts come clearly while one walks."  Thomas Mann

For more information go to The Prayer Flag Project blog and if you make some flags post them on the flickr group.